Sadly, many teachers, trainers, and meeting leaders, particularly in virtual environments, rely on this approach day in and day out. They serve up green peas and expect us to be excited about them. What do I mean by green peas you ask? Obviously, I’m using green peas as a metaphor here. For me, they represent the same, worn out way of presenting things.

For example, in my experience many teleclass and virtual meeting leaders rely almost exclusively on the lecture mode to relate information and learning. This is the easiest way for the presenter to deliver information. It takes little, if any facilitation skill, and it’s the way we were “taught” in the twelve or more years of schooling we all endured.

As more of us shift to virtual modes of training, presenting, and leading, the lecture mode is even easier to fall into. In fact, in an auditory only environment, it’s tempting for us to believe that there are few alternatives.

Why use these other modes? There are several reasons. First, non-lecture modes are a whole lot more fun for both you and your participants; they tend to actively involve people more than lecturing; they can help participants remember and integrate what is being delivered; and they help you appeal to diverse learning styles in the group.

In my journey to use the virtual environment to deliver training and modeling of group facilitation skills, I’ve discovered and experimented with at least 9 other modes of delivery besides lecture that I summarize in the next section.

Multi-Modal Training Delivery

Even though we are typically confined to the auditory and/or visual channel in virtual groups, there are still at least 10 different delivery modes available to us that we can draw on to enrich the experience for everyone. Here is a brief description of each of these modes.

1. Lecture

• Typical one-way information delivery.
• Use to orient and stimulate.

2. Experience

•  Group activity.
•  Off-line partner activity.
•  React to or draw a graphic, picture, or mind map.
•  Journal on a subject or experience.
•  Get up and move or pose in a way that represents a teaching point.
• Guided visualization or meditation.

3. Story

•  Tell a story to illustrate or reinforce a point.
•  Tell a story to inspire or orient around a perspective.
•  Have participant share their stories around the topic.
•  Have participants make up a story around an issue or desired outcome.

4. Role play

• Between you and participant to illustrate an activity.
•  Between you and participant to demonstrate a skill.
•  Between participants to practice a skill.

5. Sharing

• After an exercise to clarify experience.
• To share individual experience on a topic.
• To pole interest or experience in something, i.e., “How many of you …?”

6. Dialogue

• Dialogue is not something we can make happen, but we can be sensitive to when it’s trying to occur and allow it to unfold between participants for new insights and discoveries.
• Helping participants identify and release assumptions deepens dialogue.

7. M e t a p h o r

• What does this image say to you with regard to … ?
• If this picture could speak, what would it say?
• What image comes to mind when…?
• If the image could speak, what would it say?

8. Coaching

• To brainstorm solutions.
• To develop a plan.
• To fine tune performance.
• To expand perspective.
• To maintain accountability.

9. Discussion

• To facilitate communication among participants to deepen, expand, and build knowledge and understanding.
• To enhance relationships and connection among participants.

10. 3rd Party Sources

• Guest speaker.
• Recorded interview with expert, customer, or other stakeholder.
• Live or recorded panel of experts.

These modes are addressed in more detail in our workbook and teleclass offered below. We look forward to hearing additional approaches you’ve found useful in delivering teleclasses and virtual meetings.

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. 

~Clay P. Bedford~

Action

Which of these modes would be a stretch for you to apply in your groups? Which one are you willing to experiment with this week? What ideas have I left off the list? Please share your thoughts, stories, and experiences in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you!

When I first started facilitating and training, I thought I needed to have it all together up there in front of the room

How effective could I possibly be in facilitating learning and empowerment of others with an attitude like that? And what a great burden to carry! I didn’t know that I actually believed that I needed to look good up there. And that when I carried that burden, I didn’t look very good at all. It took some time and gentle feedback from peers and participants to shed light on this for me. This was a “shadow aspect” that I couldn’t see. Once I did see it, I could be free of it.

The term “shadow,” borrowed from Jungian psychology is that aspect of the unconscious mind consisting of repressed weaknesses, shortcomings, and instincts. I use the term shadow in this context to refer to unconscious beliefs or tendencies common among facilitators counterproductive to their group purpose. When we become unconsciously fixated on any beliefs or philosophies, facilitative or otherwise, we restrict our ability to see and flow with what’s present.

So, what facilitative shadows might you have in your closet? Let’s have a look shall we?

What you see in your mirrors may be closer than it appears.

Reflect on a group event you facilitated that really stands out for you. In other words, a meeting where you had strong feelings show up or that had an impact on you in some way. This could have been an especially positive or negative experience or one in which you took away many lessons about facilitation or leadership.

Now with this event in mind, take a moment to collect some observations. Consider the setting, the meeting goal or purpose, the meeting structure, your role, etc. Then, reflect on the following questions. What was your intention before the meeting started? What patterns or behaviors did you exhibit that seemed off? Who were you serving? Did you notice any default behaviors or triggers that took you out of the moment? What blind spots do you sense may exist in your approach to facilitation?

When finished reflecting, complete the following self-assessment.

Action

What did you discover? Did you get a charge, or feel resistance around any of these questions? If so, perhaps you have a shadow in need of the light of your awareness. Please share your thoughts, stories, and experiences in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you!

Despite the myopic values portrayed on the Apprentice TV Series

Each team on this particular show is blessed with a creative artist, who in this case happen to both be in the music business. They are Bret Michaels and Cyndi Lauper. In previous weeks, these artists have garnered reputations as being out of control or out of touch with the task at hand and have to be “managed” or sidelined so as not to waste time and foul up the task.

During this particular episode the teams were tasked to present an advertorial concept for an internet and personal security product bundle. The project managers assigned on each team were what I would refer to as “linear thinkers”. Yet like most tasks, this one had both creative design and performing elements. So they thought, let’s put our performers in a closet for this one…Hello!!!

The teams are so pressed for time that they have developed the habit of avoiding any divergent creative thinking and actually sideline their creative experts, Brett and Cindy so that they can “stay on task.” Yet while the project is underway, Bret and Cyndi both try to chime in with very relevant insights that would help the teams better respond to stated needs, but lo, they are trouble makers so it’s better to just keep them quiet or otherwise sequestered where they can’t make a fuss.

Now, even if you’ve never watched or heard of the Apprentice TV show, doesn’t this all sound vaguely familiar? Managing the tension between creativity and production, between divergent and convergent thinking is challenging, especially under tight time constraints. But isn’t there a better way to get the job done without marginalizing creative resources? Let’s take a look.

How to Accommodate Creative Input

Here are some tips and perspectives to help include creative personalities and creative thinking into your time-strapped projects.

Allow a bounded window for divergent thinking. All new projects can benefit from a period of divergent creative thinking. One process we commonly use that you are all familiar with is called brainstorming. This process may be applied first to help define and/or scope a problem if it isn’t already clear, and then to generate a number of creative ideas. Group members need to be instructed in the rules of brainstorming and the process that follows. A time boundary needs to be set and enforced as well. Then ideas are distilled to come up with the best approach moving forward.

Apprentice Action. It seems this process was skipped entirely and the burden for creating a vision and plan fell on the shoulders of the project managers alone. This essentially discounted the contributions and experience available from the group. I assume this happened because they didn’t know how to facilitate a brainstorming session and were unaware that you can allocate windows of time to conduct various phases of the design process.

Provide a process to capture creative input. Set up a whiteboard or flip chart to visibly capture ideas and concerns that naturally come up along with way. This offers a channel for emerging creative expression throughout the project. A process can be defined for the use of this system. For example, post two blank pages labeled Ideas and Concerns. Ask team members to post relevant ideas and concerns as they occur to them. And ask them to look at postings periodically for inputs that might affect and/or improve their progress and quality of their tasks.

Apprentice Action. Once the production began, project managers weren’t open to hearing creative inputs or suggestions for improvement, particularly from creative members. They didn’t want to be bothered so as not to lose focus. Ironically, the creatives on both sides had specific “street wise” inputs that would have improved their team’s chances of winning the competition.

Assign a Creativity Ombudsman. Assign a team member to be a conduit through which creative ideas are passes once the project is underway. This person should be someone with the ability to communicate concisely and who can translate ideas and their potential impact to the project manager during implementation.

Apprentice Action. Creatives were muzzled during implementation; assigned linear tasks or sent out to do menial work so as not to be pests.

Respect crazy creatives for their strengths. Creative artists can be a pain to work with on time sensitive projects. They are often easily distracted, unconscious of time, and often ramble incessantly off topic. And on the flip side, their unique, non-linear, heartfelt, often big-picture view of the world can bring ingenious insights to the fold. So don’t disrespect them just because their communication style may be inconvenient at times. Respect their input, let them know when you can and can’t be open to creative ideas during a project execution, and help them communicate concisely. This might mean that you ask them to go away for awhile to distill their input in writing, drawing, song, or dance.

Apprentice Action. Project managers were openly disrespectful of creatives, quit listening to their inputs, and charged off blindly on their narrow little paths.

What do you do to manage creative inputs? OK, your turn. Be creative and tell me what you’ve seen work or think might work in making space for creativity and innovation in a pressure cooker.

Action

How might you implement one of these ideas or perspectives in your work as a group leader or facilitator? Please share your thoughts, stories, and experiences on this in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you!

We often tend to get in our own way when it comes to collaborating and building synergy with others.

I know that unlearning can at times be even more challenging than learning, so I’m going to keep this installment very simple. Here are three attitudes that I think block synergy from happening in groups. I’ll explain them briefly then offer some unlearning tips.

My thoughts are important. Did this get your attention? I thought it would. We tend to take our thoughts far too personally at times. We attach our identity to them, stake out positions, and defend them with our very lives. How many millions have been slaughtered over adherence to thoughts that shift like the wind?

I need to make sense. We tend to be reluctant to express our observations, insights, and inklings in groups unless they are fully formed, cogent, and logical. We fear looking silly or stupid and therefore resist sharing something we think may not be understood and accepted.

I need to know what’s going to happen. We tend to be afraid of the unknown, of what might happen if. Yet we make up stories that tell us for sure what will happen if, and these stories are almost always negative.

Unlearning the Blocks to Group Synergy

Here are some reframing perspectives intended to help you unlearn the barriers pointed out above.

Your thoughts are just thoughts. Now I’m not saying your thoughts can’t be useful, I’m just saying that they aren’t who you are any more than the particles of this morning’s breakfast passing through you as you read this. You have around 60,000 thoughts each day. Don’t get to attached to any of them, they’ll be more enough to go around. If you’re truly tuned in and listening to the group and a natural impulse arises to share a thought, then do it. Do so just as you might release gas from your intestines (though preferably, not in present company), unattached to how it’s received and with full knowledge that this is something you no longer need to hold inside. How it lands and how it’s used or not is no longer up to you.

View your unrefined impressions as ingredients in a recipe. When a group is heading into new territory in the pursuit of synergy, the path is unknown. Uncharted territory is unpredictable and at first, often indescribable. Your partially formed sensation or insight might be just the piece you or someone else needs to hear to formulate the next step. Sometimes your job is simply to express and to let others make sense of it.

Be curious about what’s going to happen. New creations require physical, mental, and emotional space within which to emerge. Babies form in empty wombs, and artists often wander in creative and literal deserts before inspiration strikes. Thinking you know what’s going to happen before you take action may tarnish your action. Unlearn the habit to have it all figured out before you act. Each step forward lends a new perspective. So let the action itself show you what’s next.

If you wait to do everything until you’re sure it’s right, you’ll probably never do much of anything.
~Win Borden~

Action

Tell me what you think about unlearning blocks to synergy and/or what happened for you in practicing the inactions above. Please share your thoughts, stories, and experiences in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you!

Allopathic

I chose to use this term to describe an issue that often befalls us in our efforts to facilitate organizational interventions. We’re often called in by organizations that are “sick,” meaning that their dysfunction has become so untenable that something simply must be done about it…”Our organization is broken and we need to fix it!” Let me provide a metaphorical example.

Too many people mindlessly eat fast food and ice cream sundaes for years until one day diabetes sets in or their heart stops. They rush off to the hospital to get “fixed,” with little thought about how they’ve been responsible for the day to day actions they took or didn’t take that facilitated this emergency.

Just as we can ignore our bodies needs at the expense of our physical health, some of us ignore ours and others emotional and social needs, at the expense of building our technical capacities, only to find one day that no one can work with this technical “genius” because now he’s an emotional moron. Further, because the leaders for whom these individuals work have not been willing to moderate their venom for others, they now feel it’s time to call in the “doctor.” Someone with the power to hire and fire, whose given up the power to manage ineffective behavior, now feels it’s time to have an expert come in to fix the problem!

So we get the call. Organization “ABC” wants us to come in and fix their severe dysfunction that’s threatening this project or that. They want you to come in and give a one-day training in communication skills because that’s what seems to be lacking around here with “these” people.

You’re tempted to say yes as this is a well-paying piece of work and well, you need work and you can come up with a great training agenda, deliver what they’ve asked for and be done with it. But in your heart, you know that this problem is far more complex than a simple training can remedy and contains issues, yet to be discovered, that will dictate alternative interventions.

Please fix this for us. It is central to Allopathic belief that the disease is stronger than the body, and that man must decipher disease processes and develop specific treatments for each disease.

But even in Allopathic medicine, the diagnosis is left to the physician. Often as facilitators, we’re called in to deliver the treatment diagnosed by the leader. Not only is the leader seldom equipped to render this diagnoses, they are often a contributing aspect of the disease.

Stand by an Integral Approach to Interventions

Natural and Holistic practitioners are clear that the body itself does the healing, not the doctor. The disease itself represents a body out of balance, or simply one that has reached the point where it can no longer compensate or maintain homeostasis given the level of toxicity, deficiency, or neglect.

Be a Holistic Facilitator. Set the tone for the organization to heal itself by NOT coming into it as an expert. Show up instead with an attentive presence and clear desire to support their healing, self-awareness, and growth. Engage with your clients more as a student rather than an expert.

Listen to the Patient. The people in the system know what’s wrong with the system better than anyone. Before diving into a prescribed training or intervention, interview representatives involved at all the levels possible to get their candid reading on what’s going right and wrong.

Facilitate Commitments from Management. Many problems with teams in organizations are reflections of problems with management. Unless management is willing to acknowledge this and take the first steps to changing, systemic change is unlikely. Coach them to discover how they might be contributing to the problem and invite them to be the change they wish to see.

Cleanse Barriers to Wellness. Help the team clarify their positive vision for their organization and to discover the barriers to this vision. Facilitate their development of solutions and their commitment to action, including systems of accountability and measures of progress.

Assure Proper Nutrition. Organizations don’t get well or stay healthy eating junk food. Junk food can take the form of policies, structures, values, beliefs, and behaviors that tear down morale, add to physical, mental, and emotional clutter, or inhibit enthusiasm, creativity and innovation. Help identify and replace unhealthy organizational elements with those that are healthy and vital.

What if They Want the Allopathic Approach? I understand that many organizations may not accept the above approach and will pass you over looking for an expert to quickly come in and solve their problem. In this case you have a choice, to pass on the work or try to invite a more integral approach through the environment and process you design in support of the client’s request.

Assuming you choose the latter option, do all you can to manipulate the schedule and apply the above strategies, explaining all the while the benefits (long term, real solutions) that will most likely result from a more integral approach.

Action

How do you deal with pressures to be an Allopathic facilitator? How can you become more Holistic in your approach? Please share your thoughts, stories, and experiences around this topic in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you!

Facilitating processes for others means facilitating your process too. 

So often as facilitators we encourage our clients to trust in the process that we facilitate in their behalf. But what of our own internal process? What if we were to trust completely in the richness of the moment to moment experience? What if every challenge or problem came pre-packaged with its own solution or right action? What if our awareness of this solution or right action were only apparent when we empty our minds of what we know from the past? What if you are a living reflective instrument? An empty conduit through which group energy is marshaled and evolved? What if this required you to surrender everything you’ve ever known? What are the answers to these questions? Ah, nice try. But sorry. No answers, this is merely a process!

Application 

Now if I’m to be real with you. I must sit down here to write this example with nothing in particular in mind. I’m to simply sit here, in front of my monitor, with the intention of providing you with a juicy and relevant example of the aforementioned point. I will sit here now without expectation, with only a clear intention, and a willingness to trust my creative process. And from this place I write:

Imagine yourself in a room full of clients who have entrusted you with the management of a process by which they will take the next major step as an organization. A step upon which may rest the future of their company. A step with huge potential risks and payoffs. You are being paid very well for this. A lot is expected of you. You are serving as the catalyst for a new tomorrow for this group of humble compatriots.

The group is stuck. Their hopes are dimming. They doubt their abilities, their future, and at a time like this, so do you. But you know that the work to be done is not yours. If you chose to make it yours, ownership and sustainability of their dream will be in question. You challenge them to hold their vision clearly, to trust that it will show them the next step, that the struggle they’re up against is the birthing pain of their vision. You challenge them. You are silent. And while fully present, you wait…

Action

What could you do this week to more fully trust your process as a facilitator, as a human being? I’d love to hear from you. Please share your experience in the comments section below.

The term “Talking Circle” comes to us from the Native American tradition and is again finding broad appeal in contemporary culture. Talking circles are being used by facilitators of personal and spiritual growth, grade school teachers, high school football coaches, religious groups, 12-step and other group therapy gatherings.

Within a talking circle, all members are equal and each one belongs to the circle, which itself represents the interconnectedness of it’s members and the cycles of life. The talking circle symbolizes a sacred space created where all who come, come to listen and respect the views of all others in the circle. A stick, stone, or feather (which symbolizes connectedness to the land) can be used to facilitate the circle. Whoever is holding the object has the right to speak and the others have the responsibility to listen.

A ritual to begin the circle is often used to create a safe place where members commit to keeping all that is shared in the circle confidential, to set an intention to open hearts, to understand and connect with others, and to maintain a spirit of reverence and gratitude.

In a culture where conversation is often considered a competitive sport–the loudest and the strongest overpower the soft-spoken–the safety of talking circle enables those hesitant to speak to express themselves. And for the wisdom of the group to evolve as all are heard and understood.

Guidelines for Talking Circles

Talking circles are usually convened to resolve a problem, discuss an issue, or to focus on a question of interest to all members. When working with a large group (thirty or more) consider forming an inner circle and an outer circle. Whoever is sitting in the inner circle can speak while those in the outer circle listen. Participants can take turns being in the inner circle.

The group leader facilitates the discussion in non-judgmental way. In other words, instead of responding with words like, “great” or “good”, the leader can acknowledge or clarify comments, such as, “I understand you are saying that…” listen. During the circle time, people are free to respond however they want as long as these basic considerations are followed:

• Participants can indicate their desire to speak by raising their hands or waiting for the object to be passed to them around the circle. Generally the person holding the object speaks and is the only one with the right to speak, even if s/he takes a long time to think about what to say and there’s a pause in the conversation.
• All comments are addressed directly to the question or the issue, not to comments another person has made.
• Both negative and positive comments about what anyone else has to say should be avoided.
• Silence is acceptable. There must be no negative reactions to the phrase, “I pass.”
• Going around the circle in a systematic way invites each person to participate without a few vocal people dominating the discussion.
• Speakers should feel free to express whatever is in their heart, in any way that is comfortable: by sharing a story, a personal experience, by using examples or metaphors, and so on. A person is absolutely free to say whatever is in their heart, without limitation, and in the safe and comfortable knowledge that nobody will criticize it or interrupt it.
• If a person talks too long, people around the circle begin to discreetly cough. Too long is usually defined according to the situation, but could be three to ten minutes, depending on the size of the group, the topic, and how long the group wants to spend together. If you have the object and notice that others are coughing, it’s time to pass it along. (Use of a timer or gong would be highly inappropriate for a Talking Circle, as it’s an artificial imposition on the organic process of the Circle.)
• The circle continues either until everybody has had one opportunity to talk (usually in a larger group with time constraints) or until each person, when they receive the object, expresses the feeling that they’ve pretty much said everything they have to say. It’s interesting to see how this works: the process is usually quite organic, and everybody pretty much “winds down” about the same time. That said, short circles can also be used to begin or bring closure to lessons in teaching or training sessions.

Talking Circles are both cathartic, healing, and extraordinarily effective ways of bringing everybody into the process of communication and group life. Because you can’t speak until you have the object, the skills of listening carefully and learning how to remember what you want to say when your time comes are developed and exercised.

As for specialty uses, Talking Circles have had a powerful impact on groups of ADD adults and children. Any family will find talking circles very effective, and can even expand participation into their neighborhoods, including friends (“Come on over to our house for dinner and a one-hour Talking Circle!”).

Action

How can you employ a talking circle in your workplace or within the groups you work with? I’d love to hear what shows up for you. Please share your thoughts, stories, and experiences around this topic in the comments section below.

The One Word Story is an experiential activity that can be debriefed to illustrate the importance of ground rules or basic teamwork skills.

Activity: One Word Story—Ground rules/teamwork application

Purpose/Outcome: To have the group experience the importance of ground rules or basic teamwork skills to facilitate their work together. This is a great exercise to use as a benchmark for a workshop, training series, or establishment of a new working group.

Activity Description: Explain that the group will be creating a short, original story, and that they are to continue the story until the leader stops them. Assure them that they do not have to re-tell or remember the story.

• An order of participation will be established by seating arrangement in a face to face setting or by assigning numbers or following a roster in a virtual setting.
• The facilitator will start by contributing the first word of the story, the next player will add the next word, and the players will continue to create the story by adding only one word at a time.
•  Ask for any technical questions before giving the title for the story.
• Ask for the suggestion of an object (piece of furniture, a tool, a kitchen utensil, etc.} and create the title for the story, e.g., The Magic ‘dustpan.’ Then begin the story.

Side-Coaching Note

• One word at a time.
• Keep the story going until the facilitator calls the ending.

Debrief/Facilitator Notes

• What was your experience? What did you notice?
• What skills, behaviors or attitudes were being used when story was flowing; when it was really easy?
• What skills, behaviors or attitudes were being used when it slowed, stalled or blocked; when it felt hard?
• What can this activity teach us about working effectively together?

Learning Points. Here are some parallels between what worked in this activity that we can use as guidelines for how we work together in this group.

• Agree and focus on a common goal. By having a collective focus, i.e. a title for our story, we all have the same goal in mind.
• Attend to the details. Small words are important (and, the, a) to creating grammatically correct and coherent sentences, so we need to pay attention to the details of our work.
• Be present and listen actively. We need to be present and pay attention to each other, out of mutual respect and to assure that our contributions build on what’s been said (yes, and).
• Attend to non-verbal’s. Picking up on subtle signals and being attentive to the non-verbal communication in the room can tell you when someone was trying to finish a sentence or steer something in a new direction.
• Embrace diverse ideas. Any story you build together is slightly more interesting and usually more fun than one you create alone.
• Keep your comments concise. When only contributing a word you can make a big difference in the direction of the story, yet you offer equal room for everyone to contribute.
• Only one person speaks at a time. Only one person speaks at a time so we are all heard.

Application: Journal about what the exercise revealed to you. Share what you discovered with a partner. Ask participants to analyze what didn’t work for them, and what they want to do about it. Have them commit to specific actions that support desired behavior changes.

About the Author: Noelle Celeste works with a wide range of non-profit organizations and innovative small businesses. Her work has taken her from political organizing in Brooklyn to youth development in Boston and Columbus, and from multimedia in “Silicon Alley” and arts marketing and public broadcasting in Cleveland to girls’ education nationwide. In 2006 Noelle launched Branching Out, LLC, a company dedicated to working with partners to cultivate new initiatives. She has worked with more than a dozen clients in areas of marketing, development, strategy, board engagement, campaign management, training and coaching, research and writing.

Action

Try this activity out in one or your workshops or trainings. Please share your comments on this activity or its interpretation in this context.

Let’s start by looking at followership from this perspective. Its been said that there are no poor followers, only ineffective leaders. This would presuppose that followership is not all that important. And on the surface, this sounds good, but if you look closely, it puts the entire brunt of responsibility for any group effort solely upon the leader. Could this have anything to do with why groups of people have such a difficult time getting things done?

I think expecting so much from our leaders is a major problem with groups. Further, I think that the traits of an effective follower are similar if not identical to those of an effective leader. So if everyone on a team has effective leadership/followership skills, then the work of the leader and of the team will be that much easier and that much more effective.

But how does this apply to facilitation, you ask? Well, as facilitators, you may often work with groups seeking to improve their own process and their ability to self-facilitate, i.e. to “lead” themselves.

If this is the case, your ultimate goal will to be to work yourself out of the leadership role. If the group is amenable to taking the lead, you’ll need to relinquish control over the group, at times and assume the humble task of the follower. You may even play the role of participant to model for others how to be a good follower.

I believe that facilitation is needed not only because groups often need help in leading themselves, but just as importantly, they need help in learning how to effectively follow the leader. All good leaders need to be followers occasionally for the good of the team, and without a great team, great leadership amounts to nothing.

Attributes of Good Followers

They accept, understand, and follow direction and instruction from the leader. But they don’t blindly follow direction and they aren’t passive wall flowers either.

They are active rather than passive. They will not blindly follow instructions without first understanding all that they need to know to carry out a task and how it supports the group’s mission.

They are responsible. Good followers accept responsibility for their own actions and for the decisions of the group. This may require questioning or even opposing leadership that is against the good of the group or against greater values.

They are creative and resourceful. Good followers do not need to be told everything. Given a task, they will find ways and means to accomplish it without further direction.

They are flexible and able to change direction midstream if necessary to support the group’s greater good.

They are loyal and dependable. Good followers accept being a part of a team and recognize that, at times, they may need to compromise some of their own individual desires for the good of the team. They feel good about themselves by contributing to the group.

They view the success of their team or organization as their own. Therefore, they step in and provide leadership or fall back into follower mode based on the leadership needed in the group at any given moment.

Action

Your assignment this week is to assess your prowess as a follower. Try exercising one of the characteristics of a good follower that may be rusty for you. We’re interested in hearing about your experiences.  Share your questions, feedback, or experience in the comments section below.

12 Acts of Courage to Change Meetings for Good Isn’t it time to take intentional acts of leadership ourselves, even when we are not in charge of the boring meetings we attend? This practical guide offers the knowledge, skills, and action steps that you, as a meeting participant, can use to change meetings for good. Bring this timely information and a willingness to “act now” in your meetings, and you will be a formidable force for change in your organization. Also available in paperback.

I’ve collected a good deal of responses from a number of people answering the question, “What do facilitators do?” I hope you find these helpful.
Succinctly Describe the Essence and Value of Facilitation

I help diverse groups of people make difficult decisions without killing each other.
–John Miller, Principal, Senior Consultant & ToP Trainer with ICA Associates Inc., Canada–

I help people have the conversations they need to have.
–Stuart Reid, London-Based Facilitator–

I help demystify the cloudyness and uneasiness of managing people.
–John Ingram, Owner, Hiside Group and Professional Training & Coaching Consultant–

I listen–a lot–then I ask the right questions. Then I listen some more. I repeat this as often as it is required. I help organizations and individuals become more effective in what they do and what they want.
–Alastair Fraser of Coaching Training Consultancy Ltd–

I clarify your outcomes and manage the process so that you can achieve or make progress towards your outcome. I get rewarded only if you do.
–Nick Hindley, Training and Development Manager at PPD–

Through planned and spontaneous interventions, I make the work of the group easier.
–Jill Malleck, OD Consultant & Integral Coach–

I help teams and other groups to create and maintain the spaces and processes they need to learn and grow.
–Gilbert Brenson-Lazan, Founding Partner, Amauta International–

I ensure that all views are considered, everybody gets to talk, and I quiet the ones who talk a lot. In the end we have the best possible solution of many for the problem.
–Tom Vardon, Senior Specialist, Process Control and Safety Systems at Giffels Associates Limited/IBI Group–

I help people change & grow their businesses through focused conversation and targeted action.
–Jennifer Livingston Huber, Chief Catalyst at Shift LLC–

I create safe environments for people to create their own best solutions.
–Adam Saslow, Vice President, Sustainability Programs at Plexus Logistics, International–

I help groups tackle difficult, emotionally charged issues, find common ground, and commit to shared action–and in the process strengthen the fabric of community.
–Larry Dressler, Facilitator, Change Agent, Author–

I help large groups of people get a lot done in a short period of time.
–Michael Kaufman, Co-founder of InnovationLabs, one of the world’s leading innovation consultants and collaborative design facilitators–

I help groups move from point A to point B in an effective, efficient, and healthy way.
–Gary Rosenfeld, Change Facilitator–

I help leaders to clarify, develop, and implement their plans.
–Richard Derwent Cooke, Change Mentor & Expert Facilitator–

I help people to trust each other and themselves.
–Steve Barnaby, President of Century Communications Group–

I provide the appropriate environment for groups to have meaningful, respectful and efficient discussions needed to provoke the results that the group is seeking , whether that is to solve a problem, develop a strategy, plan for action, or to better understand an issue.
–Paul Mackey, MBA CPF, Senior Facilitator with Strategenis Change Facilitation–

I help to streamline and accelerate the decision making process by guiding business owners and senior advisors through a structured process, manage their egos, and get them to “real/honest” consensus around specific issues with realistic next steps.
–Hollis Chase, Chase & Associates, Expert Facilitation & Business Development Services–

Facilitation is to conflict resolution as health promotion is to medical care. We are about preventing conflict and solving problems together. Have you ever been in a painful meeting that didn’t get anything done? I help people work together to get to the results they need quickly and easily.
–Jo Nelson, CPF, CTF, ICA Associates, Inc., Toronto–

Have you ever sat through an interminable meeting that felt like a colossal waste of everyone’s time? I can help you plan and facilitate meetings that don’t suck, but actually accomplish something useful. Have you ever watched interpersonal conflicts prevent people from getting the work done? I can mediate conflicts and facilitate conversations on controversial subjects so that everyone is heard and no one gets hurt. Have you ever put off holding a difficult conversation with an employee, vendor, or colleague who isn’t performing up to expectations? I can coach you and teach you skills to communicate more effectively.
–Eris Weaver, Facilitator & Group Process Consultant, San Francisco Bay Area–

I act as a thermostat, by setting the environment for healthy group participation and progress, while monitoring the environment on a ongoing basis, like a thermometer. If things get too heated, I take the lead in cooling things down, so that healthy group participation and progress can continue.
–Reggie Barlow, Co-founder, Family & Community Restoration Outreach, Inc–

Working with groups and teams in health improvement is a core competency of public health. I help groups build community health improvements and I help public health professionals learn and use the facilitation tools that make them effective consultants to the community for health issues.
–Jane Schadle, Iowa Department of Public Health

Action

How would you describe what you do? If you feel you have an original description, please leave your response in the comments section below.  I’ll add it to this list with attribution.